


Here's a Creative Title

by necromantrix



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Drabble Collection, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-03
Updated: 2016-11-11
Packaged: 2018-08-28 18:07:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8456512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/necromantrix/pseuds/necromantrix
Summary: Taako tries to cuddle with a skeleton. Kravitz accidentally does some possessing.A collection of Taakitz-themed drabbles written from suggestions sent in on my tumblr.





	1. Skeletal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What if Taako tried his damndest to cuddle with Kravitz as a skeleton?

               “Is this form a pain in the ass to keep up or what?” Taako asks suddenly, his voice the only sound in the room. Magnus and Merle are out doing who knows what, and for that Kravitz is grateful. It’s not that he hates being confined to Taako’s room, but, well… Yeah, he hates it. Vain as he may be about his appearance, any vanity does not extend to Taako’s private quarters. Food wrappers can be found littered about the room, dirty clothes are kept in a pile instead of a hamper, and he always forgets to dust. Always. Kravitz is still pretty sure Taako has _never_ dusted, actually.

               It’s not that they’re hiding the relationship from the other boys out of some desire for it to be a secret; Taako just doesn’t care if they know at all, while Kravitz thinks that _maybe_ _it’s best if they_ don’t _know you’re dating someone who, ah, tried to kill them a whole lot_. Taako doesn’t see a flaw in that logic, and so their meetings are secretive and usually confined to his bedroom—which, frankly, gets boring as fuck after a while.

               Of course, sitting on the couch in the common area of their suite isn’t _that_ much more exciting, and that’s when he starts getting curious about stuff. Kravitz was fine with the silence, but he looks down at Taako and raises a brow. “What do you mean?”

               The elf raises a warm hand to touch the dark, cool skin of Kravitz’s face—a welcome gesture that the bounty hunter finds himself leaning into ever so slightly. “This. This whole _human look_ you got goin’ on. I know it’s not something you just _do_ without thinking. I mean, you get emotional and _poof!_ You go all skeletal, my man. It’s like it takes concentration or something. Does it?”

               “Oh. Ah, interesting question, Taako. It’s a… it’s a bit more nuanced than that. You’re right that it takes some willpower to keep up, I think, but it’s not _constant_ concentration. It’s, hm. It’s very difficult to describe now that you ask, actually.” His fingers play idly in Taako’s hair, long taken out from its braid so it could be played with. “Do you mind if I try a metaphor? I know they’re kinda. They’re kinda your thing, but I think I need to try one for this.”

               He feels Taako shrug against his chest. “Go for it, hombre. Knock yourself the fuck out.”

               “Alright. Uh. Think of… think of my form as having stages, alright? At the core of my… _existence_ , I’m nothing more than the other spirits of the astral plane. Just one of those balls of light, if you remember? Because of that, I can take vessels that are not my own. The crystal golem. The robot. Those sorts of things. It gives me a level of freedom that I like. A level of freedom that’s mandatory for my job.

               “Then there’s… the skeletal form. I don’t know what else to call it, really. The, uh, the _Grim Reaper_ looking body. That one’s more stable. It takes nothing to uphold it. It just. It just _is_. And this form, the one I’m in now, takes some effort to bring up. That’s why when I, uh, get emotional, it kind of… flickers out.”

               “Hm. Cool, cool.” Taako has that tone of voice that implies thinking and perhaps mischief, and he’s playing idly with the collar of Kravitz’ jacket. “Why don’t you… _stop thinking_ for a little bit?”

               “What? Why?”

               “Look, Krav. _Listen_. I’m dating you, am I right? And you’re not…” Here he waves a hand generally at Kravitz, the gesture implying all of him. “You’re not _all this_. If you’re a cold skeleton, I’m dating a cold skeleton, and I’m _damn_ sure not gonna miss a chance to try to cuddle a cold skeleton. So drop it. Relax. Let’s see what happens.”

               Kravitz seems briefly unsure with this suggestion—years and years of practice at upholding this appearance don’t fall so easily—but then his dark skin seems to sink in and fade into the white of bone, all softness leaving his body where Taako’s leaning against him.

               “Hm. Well, that’s problematic,” Taako mumbles, shifting his weight and muttering under his breath as he does his best to find a comfortable position. “Aha, there we go. Perfect.” His legs are draped sideways over Kravitz’ lap, Taako’s hip pressed to his where he sits beside him. “This isn’t so bad. I mean, look, your body temperature’s no different.” He snickers, leaning his head back against the jacket still on Kravitz’ bony shoulder.

               “You’re right,” Kravitz agrees. “You’re so warm. I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to that.”

               “Mm, I don’t know if _either_ of us will ever get used to the whole body-temperature-difference ordeal. It’s kind of weird, but we roll with- _okay_ ow ow _ow_ , bad move, bad fucking move, my man.” As he speaks, he reaches up to grasp the hair at the back of his own head, having attempted to move shortly after Kravitz made the mistake of trying to play with his hair with his skeletal hand; some hair is caught in the joints and it fucking hurts.

               “Shit, I’m. I’m sorry,” Kravitz manages, carefully moving his hand slightly—gently opening and closing his fingers at small intervals—until Taako’s hair falls free. “I really don’t think this is a good idea, Taako. It’s, uh, not very fun to deal with.”

               “Yeah, cool, I think you’re right there, my man,” Taako says as he rubs the back of his scalp. He shifts again as Kravitz wills himself back into his more human form, the cold remaining but his body filling out once more. He looks at Kravitz’ handsome face for a long moment before moving in one fluid motion to straddle his lap, throwing his arms around his neck. The expression on Kravitz’ face implies a heavy blush, even if his unlife doesn’t allow it. “So that idea was a bust. What about we work on not thinking in another way?” His voice is a low murmur as he presses himself close, and then he closes the small distance to kiss him slowly and deeply. “What do you say?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This prompt was from an anon, suggesting something with skeletal!Krav. This is what I came up with based on the few suggestions they made. My tumblr is necromantrix if you want to send something in! (Note, because I haven't got any yet: NSFW prompts are accepted.)


	2. Possession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If Kravitz can inhabit things on the physical plane, why not Taako himself?

               Possessing his… Possessing _Taako_ isn’t what he plans on doing (and it certainly isn’t what Taako plans on experiencing), but “all the best laid plans” and all that.

               What happens is that they split up. Magnus and Merle go one way, Kravitz goes with Taako another—both because they want to be together and because Merle does _not_ want to be around Kravitz, and neither does Magnus, really—and then shit hits the fan real fast.

               A fight starts, obviously, against some rather grizzly orc-ish characters. Nasty folks brought into a blind rage by the sight of intruders. There are two of them, and they handle those easily enough, but what they aren’t aware of is a third one hiding and waiting to strike. This moment comes shortly after its two comrades fall, one quicker than the other, and then suddenly he’s bringing a rather nasty axe down on Taako.

               Kravitz registers all of this in what feels like half-speed. The _plan_ is to knock Taako out of the way, block the blow with his scythe, and then let the fight happen as it will. What _actually_ happens is that Kravitz panics as he lunges towards Taako. Normally this would be fine if he wasn’t a bounty hunter for the Raven Queen and therefore not quite as corporeal as some; however, that _is_ the case and as he collides with Taako, he can feel his form slip. There’s a flash of darkness in his perception and suddenly he’s colliding with a stone cave wall and he feels _different_.

               “Shit. Shit. Oh, no,” he gasps as he sits up. He looks down and instead of his scythe being held in his hand, his grip is tight around the handle of the Umbra Staff.

               Taako, for his part, feels like he’s suddenly knocked into meditation. He comes to a few seconds later and he can tell something’s fucking _wrong_. That “something” might be that he has no control over his own body and he’s suddenly aware of the fact that someone else is.

               _Listen, my man—what the fuck just happened?_ The words don’t come out past his lips like he’s used to, instead merely passing from his consciousness to the other one that has more control over his body now. _I mean, like, this is some cool kinky-ass shit, but maybe don’t do this at random? Just a thought._

               “I didn’t mean to,” Kravitz says aloud in a voice he isn’t used to speaking with, grasping the situation finally as his shock subsides just in time for him to dodge another downward swing of the axe. “So, uh. _Fuck_. Okay, we’ll figure this out. We’ll figure this out in a moment, but right now we really ought to kill this guy. And I have… _zero_ idea how to use your magic.”

               _Probably should’ve thought of that before taking over my body, bud. But, uh, look, just focus for a moment and see if you can… I don’t know, fucking let me in a little? Let me help? I don’t know_ how _you should do that, but try. We’re gonna magic missile the_ fuck _outta this asshole._

               “Right.” As he braces himself, Kravitz can feel the energy of the Umbra Staff in his right hand. He knows it knows that he’s currently inhabiting Taako’s body, and he can also tell that it hates that, but it doesn’t make any move to turn on him. It’s loyalty to Taako outweighs its— _her_ , some part of Taako’s subconsciousness offers helpfully—hatred for him, it seems.

               _The staff should know it, but I’ll see if I can help_. Taako’s tone is dubious but optimistic.

               Gripping the handle of the staff with both hands, Kravitz aims it at the approaching orc. Right before his eyes, before he can attempt to cast anything, the orc fades away and changes into… _himself_? He knows it isn’t really him (his body fades into nothingness when not in use), but the resemblance is perfect.

               _Well, ain’t_ that _a god damn situation. You got this, Krav? I mean, I know that’s probably super uncomfortable and all, but you good?_

               Kravitz takes a slow, deep breath—a breath he realizes that _this_ body, Taako’s body, needs, which is something he hasn’t felt in such a long time—and nods once as he tightens his grip on the Umbra Staff. “It’s a. It’s just a doppelganger. I think both of us have faced worse. Probably.”

He also realizes that he can feel a true pulse racing in his chest and throughout various pulse-points.

               _Right-o, my man. Let’s do this shit._

The two of them focusing together, Kravitz closes Taako’s eyes and thinks hard about the spell he’s planning on using. Taako thinks about it too, more than he’s used to, and tries to will it through his hands and through the umbrella.

               It works, by some miracle, and the Kravitz-wannabe fades back into a grey humanoid form as it’s blown to bits. Kravitz exhales a quiet sigh of relief, glad to be spared watching himself die again.

               Taako’s silent for a while at the back of his own mind, able to generally feel Kravitz’ rather low emotions. Remaining silent is all he can do to give the bounty hunter space since they’re in the same body, but after a while he breaks the silence.

               _So, listen, Kravitz. You think you can get outta here? I mean, this is cool and all—very great, awesome to know this is a thing you can do—but like, I want my body back._

\---

               It takes some time for Kravitz’ corporeal form to return, and when it does it draws up around him like a shell. He’s skeletal for a moment before dark skin pulls over pale bones, the tatters of his cloak closing into its nicer appearance. “Well, that was something,” he says finally, the first thing either one has said since Kravitz ejected himself from Taako’s body.

               “Mhm, sure was. Weird as fuck for me.”

               “It was weird for me, too.”

               “Well, I’m glad that disaster’s behind us. C’mon, we gotta get going, I guess. Don’t want those other two clowns doing something stupid.” Taako stands and holds his hand out to Kravitz, who takes it and stands. Instead of letting go, he hesitates only briefly before lacing their fingers together.

               Taako smiles at him, and for a moment he feels like he needs to breathe and forgot how.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An anon on tumblr (it's necromantrix, if you want to send in your own prompts!) suggested this, and so here it is! It was a wild one to fulfill, let me tell you.


	3. Clothes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Does Kravitz even own any clothes that aren't suits?

               “No, no no, this won’t do.” Taako’s standing with his hands on his hips as he looks Kravitz over, his expression both thoughtful and judgmental. He gestures a hand at his boyfriend’s outfit, a hip cocked to one side. “This. This is a fucking disaster.” It isn’t a disaster, really; it’s just boring, which is pretty much the same thing in Taako’s eyes. A plain dark grey button-up and dark jeans. _That’s_ what his boyfriend decides to wear when told to wear something besides his suit? Tragic. Truly tragic.

               “You, ah. You told me not to wear a suit. I have—I have different suits, but you kind of… told me not to wear any of those. This is all I have that’s ‘casual.’” Kravitz feels strangely self-conscious about his choice of wardrobe, wishing he’d just put on a suit anyway.

               “Ooh, boy. Okay. We’re gonna go shopping and get you into something better, and _then_ we’re heading to Neverwinter. Alright?” Without waiting for a response, he grabs Kravitz’ hand and leads him out of the suite he shares with the other two. “We’ll be back at some point, maybe,” he yells back over his shoulder, unsure if the other two are even in their rooms.

\---

               Taako taps his chin thoughtfully, standing with Kravitz in the clothing section of Fantasy Costco. “Lot of choices, hm?” He clicks his tongue as he thinks, turning his head to look Kravitz over again. “What abo-“

               He’s cut off by a salesman he’s all too familiar with but that Kravitz has no knowledge of whatsoever. “ _Hell-o_ ,” Garfield says brightly, his smile bright and obviously fake. “Looking to make a deal on some _clothes_?”

               Taako waves a dismissive hand, rummaging through one of the racks. “In a bit, Garfield. Gotta pick some stuff out first.”

               “And who are you shopping for?” His gaze swivels and he seems to notice Kravitz—who offers a little wave—for the first time, and his smile falls. “ _Oh, shiiiit_. Alright, I’ll just let _you two_ handle this. Ring the bell if you need anything.” Quite obviously rushing, Garfield makes his way to the back.

               Kravitz waits until he’s out of earshot to speak. “I, uh, I get the feeling he knows who I am. Which is strange. Most people don’t. Most people don’t recognize me on-sight.”

               “He’s a little strange,” Taako admits, grabbing some various articles of clothing to throw over his arm. “This oughtta do it. Let’s go get you out of that bland bullshit and into something more exciting, okay?” As he walks past and grabs Kravitz’ hand to lead him to the dressing room, he leans up to press a gentle, warm peck to his cheek.

               Even though he knows he shouldn’t, even though he knows it should be impossible, Kravitz swears he can feel the steady warming of his cheeks in a blush as he follows Taako. He can feel the warmth of the wizard’s hand in his own, and it’s so comfortable and comforting. “I could’ve just worn a suit, you know,” he says as they approach the curtain of one of the fitting rooms, not letting go of Taako’s hand. “I have, uh, quite a few different ones.”

               “Okay, but consider not wearing another suit and looking… _normal_. Don’t get me wrong, I _love_ the dangerous-man-in-a-suit look, it’s super hot and I dig it, totally, but like, I want to see you in _normal_ clothes. I want to go out with you and _not_ have people be terrified of you. I want people looking at us because we’re fresh as fuck, not because they can tell there’s something spooky going on with you.” Here he hoists the pile of clothes into Kravitz’ arms. “Some of this won’t look great, but I really just wanna see you in it, my man.” He grins and Kravitz can’t help but think briefly about how beautiful he is.

               Kravitz smiles back at him and shrugs a little. “All right. May as well.” He closes the curtain behind himself to change.

               After a few moments of figuring out what to try on with what—there are a variety of pants and shirts to choose from—he steps out from behind the curtain. Taako looks him over and then snickers to himself. “Okay, look, I thought as much—neon _anything_? Not your color, my man.”

               Raising a brow, Kravitz turns and looks in the mirror and winces at the bright pink, very tight crop top Taako picked up for him to try on. “I have to agree there. Why did, uh, why’d you even pick this up?”

               Taako smiles lazily and shrugs as he sits on a stool, crossing one leg over the other. “Just wanted to know what you’d look like in a tiny shirt, bone-daddy. I mean, the style’s a winner if not very _you_ , but the color? Nope.”

               He feels that warmth of a blush that shouldn’t be there again. He’s not sure if it’s the words or the way Taako’s looking at him with _those eyes_ but he feels like he might melt. “Please, uh. Please don’t call me that.”

               “Look in the mirror, my man.”

               Curious, Kravitz looks back at the mirror and says “oh” with understanding, willing his skin back over bone. “I think I’m going to put on something else.”

               He tries on a few more outfits of various levels of style or lack thereof, finally settling on one that both he and Taako like. It’s a crop top again, but it’s really just a cut-off burgundy t-shirt, paired with nice, dark jeans. The cut of the jeans and shirt means that there’s just a thin sliver of his midriff showing, but it’s just enough.

               “See? Now _that_ is a fucking _look_. _This_ is how you gotta dress when doing the whole casual thing.” Taako stands and closes the distance between the two of them, his warm hands finding Kravitz’ hips so his fingers can loop through his belt loops as he leans up on tip-toe to kiss him. Taako lingers at his cool lips, leaving him feeling again like he might melt.

               It’s a sensation he’s grown used to around Taako, and it’s not just due to the warmth of his skin; it’s due to everything about him that leaves Kravitz feeling like he ought to be breathless.

               Taako finally pulls away and grins, tugging him back towards the front of the store. “Let’s pay for this shit and get out of here. We still got a date to enjoy.”


	4. Remembrance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What if Kravitz had a fiancé when alive who was somewhat like Taako?

               The reason he asks Taako why he’s not doing a different job is complicated.

               He’s been a bounty hunter for a long, _long_ time; so long that he hasn’t bothered to keep track for at least a few human generations. Who he was when he was alive doesn’t mean much anymore, and he only bothers remembering vague details central and relevant to his personality. He remembers wanting to be a conductor, for example, because that love of music hasn’t changed. It’s _unfortunately_ relevant, but he knows he fell out of a tree once because he’s still afraid of heights (climbing is what bothers him in particular).

               There are also some things he remembers less confidently, in fragments and feelings and vague, general concepts. One of those things—one he swears he forgot, one he _tried_ to forget for so long just because there’s no point in remembering—is a man. All he remembers is that he existed at some point and that they were together.

               All those vague half-memories don’t matter now. Now he has someone else. Now he’s… dating? Yeah, probably dating Taako, and he’s happy and content with that. But he’s remembering more now. He’s remembering more than he has in years—or decades? Centuries?—and he can’t stop himself.

               Taako smiles and laughs, and Kravitz smiles back at him, and he remembers, just _briefly,_ the sound of another laugh, so different except in the emotion it conveys. But the smile is almost the same, if you take that hint of tragedy out of his eyes.

               Taako’s warmth is almost scalding against his cold skin whenever they touch, but it reminds him in occasional flashes of warm hands on his neck, his back, his hands.

               Taako kisses him and there’s something so comforting and familiar about the way his lips move against Kravitz’ own—something familiar in the way he grips his tie or lapels or jaw to pull him close.

               There’s so much familiar about Taako, familiar in the subtlest of suggestions. He’s familiar in a way that’s comfortable and vaguely nostalgic. He’s familiar in a way that makes Kravitz bend the rules for him without hesitation. He’s familiar in a way that aches somewhere deep in his chest. He’s familiar in a way that hurts whenever he’s alone with these thoughts for too long.

               He makes Kravitz remember lips on his. He remembers a heart pounding in his chest. He remembers skin on skin in the dim light of a lazy morning. He remembers fingers entwined with his. He remembers writing music and testing the notes on the piano as breakfast was being cooked, someone offering helpful feedback in a semi-distracted tone of voice. He remembers matching engagement rings and discussions about waiting until things were more stable to get married.

               Briefly, he remembers the feeling of regret as he died before things ever got more stable.

               But Taako’s different, too. He’s familiar enough to make falling for him easy, but he’s also unpredictable, and that makes him attractive as himself and not just as a memory. He’s loud and closed-off, but he’s also caring when nobody’s looking. He passes himself off as a complete idiot, but he’s pulled some of the wildest, smartest stunts that Kravitz has ever heard of. He’s a complicated mess, and that’s one of the things Kravitz loves about him the most.

               His familiarity is what drew Kravitz in, but the parts of him that are unfamiliar is why Kravitz wants to see him again.

               The reason he asks Taako why he’s not doing a safer career is because he’s concerned that Taako might start to feel like home, and he doesn’t want to be the one left behind this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got this prompt ("Taako reminds Kravitz of the person he was in love with when he was alive so that's why he's falling for Taako now and it's both nice and hurts at the same time") from... somebody on the discord chat. Sorry to whoever it is! I really ought to start jotting that down. You can also send prompts in on my tumblr, which is necromantrix. (Not all prompts have to be super small to be in this collection, either; if you have a prompt that you think is too big but's really great, send it to me anyway and I'll let you know if I'll do it in a separate fic or not.)


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